Teen of the Week: Key School athlete took new path after a concussion injury

Camille Carr, 18, a recent Key School graduate, completed her senior project at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Camille will soon be a freshman at Duke University, majoring in mechanical engineering. (Wendi Winters / BSMG)

Camille Carr, 18, a recent Key School graduate, completed her senior project at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Camille will soon be a freshman at Duke University, majoring in mechanical engineering. (Wendi Winters / BSMG)

When Camille Carr enters a room, her wide smile brightens the gloomiest space.

"It is wide and contagious," said Lauren Burrell Baxter, the Key School's director of college advising.

The Key School's math department chair, Jen Tonkin, agrees.

"You are instantly in a better mood when you walk into the classroom and see Camille, smile on her face, excited to talk about the homework assignment and share what connections she made among the material," she said.

Wendi Winters / Capital Gazette

Teen of the Week Camille Carr, a recent graduate of the Key School. She will be attending Duke University in the fall.

Teen of the Week Camille Carr, a recent graduate of the Key School. She will be attending Duke University in the fall. (Wendi Winters / Capital Gazette)

The teen's acrobatics coach, Sarah Thomas, echoed the sentiment.

"Camille has an incredible way of making everyone around her smile," Thomas said. "Her positive energy, even through trying times, certainly sets her apart from the average teenager. Mature beyond her years, she could always be counted on to lead and motivate her peers."

Gymnastics and acrobatics was an integral part of Camille's life. She began tumbling at age 3. By her teen years, Camille, now 18, was practicing at the gym 15 to 20 hours a week.

She competed in state, regional and national championships, qualifying for the national competitions her first three years in high school. She earned second place in a contest her freshman year and was captain of her team, 1st Class Gymnastics, for three years.

Camille also qualified those three years to be a member of the Acrobatic Gymnastics Developmental Team. She participated in the team's training camp her sophomore and junior years at the Karolyi Ranch near Huntsville, Texas, considered the Olympic training site for gymnastics.

Her future as a gymnast came to a sudden end in late 2014 when another gymnast sharply elbowed her in the head, causing a concussion. When the headaches lingered, in March 2015, Camille made the painful decision to quit gymnastics, though she continued to help out with coaching duties.

She plunged into school activities. Camille joined the math team and was selected by the Key School's Spanish department to assist underclassmen in their Spanish studies as a peer tutor.

She also got involved in the organization Students Against Destructive Decisions (S.A.A.D.) and Students for Social Change, a group that plans an annual diversity day for the entire high school.

"Camille simply has it all together," Tonkin said. "I see her as a leader among her peers. She leads by example with her work ethic; many of her peers turn to her for help or guidance with new material."

For her Key School senior project, she did a brief internship at the White House Office of Science and Technology. Her goal was to learn about myriad fields where a background in science and technology would be applicable.

She attended meetings in the First Lady's office regarding the Reach Higher Initiative, and a conference on big data. The teen learned how big data is being utilized and also about police body camera data and how it can be manipulated or distorted in order to provide an inaccurate version of events.

Baxter said, "As a scholar, Camille has an insatiable appetite for learning, discovering and growing. She is a top student in the classroom but more importantly, she looks for ways to have discussions with faculty and advisers. It's more about the process of learning than the grade outcome."

The ebullient teen is packing already for the next four years at Duke University.

In selecting Duke, Camille took Baxter's advice.

The counselor suggested Camille chose the school where she could best visualize herself walking out of a dormitory, feeling comfortable and at home in her new environment.

"My adviser said, 'Think about where you want to be next year and the people who will surround you.' That place was the Duke campus," Camille said. "When I visited the campus, everyone was so friendly. On the student shuttle, people offered me a seat. A freshman gave up his evening to show me around."

"The school's goals are similar to mine," Camille said, adding her dream is to earn a degree in mechanical engineering and, one day, start her own firm.

Camille's mother, Stephanie Carr, is the chief Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) officer in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Marty Carr, her father, is a broadcasting technician for WETA, the public television and classical music station for the Washington, D.C. area.

Camille is the middle child of three siblings. Victoria Carr, 20, attends Prince George's Community College. Courtland Carr, 15, is a rising sophomore at Key School.

As eager as Camille is to start her new adventure at Duke, she knows she'll miss being out on the area's waterways and the opportunities to avail herself of the world's finest — and free — museums in nearby Washington, D.C.

"I'll miss the sense of community at Key. I've been there since the 7th grade," Camille said. "It's a place where I know everyone and we're so close. I'll especially miss my fellow Key classmate and next door neighbor Eden Valdivieso. We've been friends and neighbors since we were in kindergarten."

Anyone may nominate a Teen of the Week. Send nominations by email to Wendi Winters at wwinters@capgaznews.com. However, due to a large number of nominees this year, The Capital is no longer accepting Teen of the Week nominations of teens from the Class of 2016.